I seek refuge in God from the accursed Satan
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
I thank the noble and combatant nation of Iran. I express my gratitude for the unity of expression that has come into existence among the people from various walks of life. I congratulate you for the victory that the nation has gained. The Iranian nation should know that the Iranian Revolution differs from other revolutions that have taken place in the world. Besides, being an Islamic and humane revolution, it suffered few casualties. In other revolutions that took place in the world, there were heavy casualties. However, we achieved a great victory with a few casualties. You, the nation of Iran, have toppled a 2500- year-old despotic monarchy with your fists, much effort, and unyielding faith, ignoring all the support that he would get.
May God maintain your constancy. May God bestow grandeur on Islam. Your victory is a great victory for Islam. From now on, we should pay attention to a great number of important issues, particularly in safeguarding the unity of expression. We are in the midst of our struggle and we still are in need of the unity of expression. All classes of people should stand by each other in a brotherly manner, and be prepared to campaign against and prevent turmoil and discord. If, God forbid, discord comes between us, attaining ultimate victory will be uncertain. I advise the whole nation that from now on they should keep their unity of expression in the same manner as before. In the same manner that they have acquired their sense of humanity, nationality and Islamic identity, they should keep it alive and should not allow the divine flame to be extinguished. They should hold fast to Islam and the strong rope of Islam and the glorious Qur'an and the great Imam, the Imam of the Time, may God's peace be upon him, and with an enormous amount of effort eliminate all the difficulties.
My beloved nation! Problems and adversities abound and we are heirs to a country in an agitated state. They have despoiled our country and have gone away; they have bequeathed us a country in a pile of rubble. With the help of God, the whole nation should rise for the reconstruction of Iran, which is a country stricken and shaken by a quake, foreign powers and enemies. Today we should rebuild Iran, but there are numerous problems, which cannot be eliminated by the government alone, or one or two strata of the people. The whole nation, and each individual in whatever profession, position, or place should join hands and build to completion this new foundation; we shall build a new nation, a new government, a new structure which is all-Islamic and comprehensively humane.
We should be aware of the fact that in these early days of the Revolution, treacherous and defiled hands are at work and traitors may instigate turmoil among you. You should seriously avoid sabotage and beware of saboteurs so that if anyone is intending to foment unrest and disorder or kill people, or attack government centers, the military, palaces and other places, you can obstruct them, because such acts will eventually cause disturbances. Such actions are tantamount to treachery against Islam and the Islamic country and treacheries of this sort should be prevented. All weapons in the hands of the people should be collected, and anyone who finds a weapon should take it to the local mosque and hand it over to its congregational leader. In turn, these weapons will be handed from the mosques to the committees, which will place them at the disposal of the soldiers of Islam who have been organized to defend Islam and the Muslims. Only the soldiers must be armed; others do not have any need for arms, which should be controlled by the committees. Be reminded that the sale of weapons is (religiously) unlawful; they are the property of others, that is the property of the nation. None shall sell nor buy weapons. Anyone who has bought one should hand it over to the mosque or the committee. These weapons are part of the nation's assets and therefore should not be destroyed. Should you see anyone intending to steal any weapons, stop him sternly and do not let the deviated people get hold of such weapons. Do not let these weapons fall into the hands of the enemies of Islam and the nation. Everyone has a responsibility and has a religious law duty in this regard. These days Islam and Muslims are passing through the most critical period (of their lives). You should be vigilant and should not allow the enemy to infiltrate your ranks, or you should not let these weapons fall into the hands of the enemy. If they have the intention to attack places where weapons are stored, you are duty-bound to publicly oppose and stop them. Also, if you see any weapons in the hands of the ordinary people, advise them to hand them over. If you learn that there are individuals in possession of firearms who do not give them up, it is your duty to report it and give their names and addresses to the committee, which will in turn deal with them. This issue should be taken note of all over Iran. Another issue is the fact that turmoil and demonstrations should be stopped. There should not be public disturbances. People should not think that they can stir agitation just because they have gained victory. They should behave with discipline, order, humanity and Islamic sense, and show to the world that you, the Muslim nation, are cognizant of the truth of Islam and are committed to its rules and regulations. You should seriously avoid this kind of looting. The `ulama' of Islam are religiously duty-bound to dissuade people from instigating turmoil, and to forbid them from attacking individuals and (governmental) centers. The `ulama' of Islam, who are the people's guide, should give them guidance during this sensitive period and should not allow discord and pandemonium to be fomented in the country.
Now is the day that the country should be protected. Committees should be set up in every city and locality under the supervision of the `ulama' and trustworthy individuals in order to take charge of the security in cities. Police, gendarmerie and military bases and precincts should not be attacked; these forces have returned to our fold and are with us now. The gendarmerie, police and military forces are one of us. Likewise all the disciplinary forces are of us and we are of them; we are all followers of Islam. Tumult should be prevented.
In particular, the (Air Force) warrant officers are singled out among the rest; they are young officers who extended their assistance, took great pains and declared their solidarity with the nation at a crucial time. You should protect all forces.
We are united with the Sunnis; we are Muslims, are brothers, and are one. Anyone who speaks a word that will foment discord between Muslims is either an ignoramus or someone who wants to create differences between Muslims. There is no issue named as Sunni-Shi`ah issue; we are all brothers. We assure all religious minorities residing in this country that they will live in justice and comfort, and that they enjoy our full support. Islam supports the People of the Book living in Iran. Anyone who says otherwise wants to foment discord. Saboteurs must realize that willful destruction is treachery against the nation and the country; they should refrain from such destructive actions, be under the supervision of the Islamic government, and submit to the idea there is no God but Allah. What do they want other than all the people of the lower classes', the peasants' and the laborers', living in comfort? We will provide for all of them.
I want to request all the classes of the nation that this is not the time for plundering and discord. This is the time to take our noble movement in all
seriousness to its final destination. God is with you. May God protect you all. May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you.
Rouhullah al-Mousawi al-Khomeini